Customer Reviews

Samsung LNT2353H 23-Inch LCD HDTV

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Not that the numbers matter, but the contrast ratio on this one is 4000 to 1, not 5000 to 1 as reported at one point in Amazon's description. The main reason to consider this one ahead of the somewhat less expensive 23" 42H model, is style. The speakers are in the bottom rather than on the sides, allowing Samsung to trim the width by a few inches as well as lighten the weight by a few pounds. In fact, the thinner picture frame of the 23" 53H gives the image the illusion of being almost the same size as the 26" 42H, which uses side-firing speakers and a wider surrounding frame.

Since the bedroom is fairly small and on the top floor, the 53H 23" was the solution in my case. I wish I had trusted my initial instinct because as I was watching the computer screen, Amazon increased the price of this model by ten bucks. Compared to my stylish and highly praised Sony MFM-HT 20" (8.7 stars from C-Net) that appeared a year ago, then inexplicably disappeared from the U.S. market within several months, the Samsung has a "deeper" picture and fuller-frequencied sound. But the Sony's picture is brighter. You can tweak the brightness, of course, but it's a shame Samsung took such a dim view of things when making the factory settings.

One caveat: If you're replacing a 20" tube set and plan to view most transmitted television signals in accurately proportioned 4:3 ratio, you may sense that the image of the 23" LCD is smaller than the old 20" set. I've grown accustomed to viewing everything in 16:9, which fills the wide screen but at the cost of undeniable distortion. If you're especially fastidious about a balanced, symmetrical image, it may make sense to opt for the next bigger size.

I was looking for a smaller LCD HDTV to support my new "HDTV" cablebox in the kitchen and so I read as much information available on the internet. This model had very good reviews. Overall, it's a great product and generally, you get what you pay for.

A couple of negative things not specific to the brand but just my observation based on my only previous experience with CRT televisions just to keep in mind. Everything else was great and positive. HDTV is incredible technology.

1. Sizing Perception. While LCDs are slimmer, you will need a larger monitor to replace you existing CRT size. I had a 13" CRT television and my new LCD HDTV 23" image size looks only "just a bit" larger while the wall space taken by up by the LCD is much larger.

2. Viewable angle. LCD TVs have a limited range of view because of technology. If your used to LCD TVs already, you know. I have my TV higher up near the ceiling. But if you're directly under the LCD TV, you can barely see the image. It's a limit of LCD but certainly very good for this TV based on other reviews.

3. Startup. It takes a while for the picture to come on. Only about 4-6 seconds, some say 9 seconds, I don't think that long but since I've been trained over the years by CRTs to wait 2-3 seconds, it seems long but not at all annoying.

4. Picture Sharpness. I went to a retailer to view different screens. Not a product push, but I personally think the Sony Bravia series wins all other consumer based televisions hands down. Of course you will probably pay a premium for that visual sharpness. I thought the Samsung held it's own against all other HDTV LCD manufacturers I looked at. The reason I bought Samsung.

5. Backlight. While you can adjust backlight, contrast, brightness,and sharpness on the settings, in daylight the LCD TV is darker than CRT. I'm not sure if its specific to LCD TVs in general or this model.

Buying suggestions:

Once you buy an HDTV, regular TV seems mushy or muddy. So there'll be adjustment to going back and forth between old and new. You'll never want to go back, but if you have a lot of TVs in your home, there'll be a hefty price point to replace all TVs with HDTVs. Since everyone will be converting in 2009-2010???, might want to think about what you need to do.

I suggest you go to a variety of retailers to view different models from the same manufacturers and different manufacturers before purchase.

Finally, I had a hard time connecting up everything. I pride myself on being pretty good about figuring things out without "reading the instructions". You'll need to read instructions if you don't already own an HDTV LCD. It took me a couple store runs to get the cables to accommodate the cable company requirements for viewing HDTV with cable.

Browsed a lot before settling on this model which Amazon had at a great price. Picture is excellent which we were expecting but the audio was the real surprise. Transforms one's television experience. Instructions weren't great ie it took an evening of frustration before all elements were connected properly ie cable box and dvr and wireless headphones.

I have a 42" 1080p Sharp Aquos in my living above my fireplace and love it. Sharp doesn't make a 23" (that I know of) so I decided to try Samsung as I know it's also a top tier brand.

We just purchaed all new bedroom furniture, drapes, duvet cover etc and the 27" Silver Sharp CRT TV we had would just would look out of place. It's also WAY too bulky and takes away from the room.

This TV looks great...piano finish of Samsung is awesome. We have it on the base and on top of a five drawer dresser. It fits perfectly and is just the right size for our room and we can see clearly from anywhere in the room. The room is 17 x 15 and the next one up, 26", would just be TOO big and would stand out too much. After all, it's a BEDroom and not a TVroom. The picture quality of the TV is also outstanding. It's 720p and has HDMI (keep its free of ugly wires). Those that don't know may say 'why not 1080p', but on a TV that's 23" it doesn't really make a difference. The picture is wonderful either way.

It's a great price, looks good on the outside and has the technology to back it up on the inside. It also has a 'Gamer Mode' which allows for faster response time. I haven't tried it yet as I don't think the wife wants me moving my XBOX 360 Elite to the bedroom!!

Let me start off by saying that this is a beautiful television set. The inputs and features outperform any other 32" set on the market with 3 HDMI, 2 component and a DVI port, all of which are HDCP compliant and display in all their 1080p glory. HD-DVDs and XBox 360 games look incredible. There is no perceivable lag for games when using the side inputs with "Vyper Mode." Even standard-def TV looks good if you set it not to stretch the picture out. I also use it as a computer monitor and it looks incredible. One huge advantage of this TV is the ability to have separate AV Modes for each input. So you can have a custom profile for each input, or it will remember that your DVD player uses the "Movie" mode and your XBox uses the "Game" mode.

This TV does have a few drawbacks though, especially as a computer monitor. The TV constantly tries to adjust the color depending whats on the screen, even on "PC" or "User" AV Mode (those modes are supposed to disable that "feature"). For games and movies this isn't noticeable though.

Despite the color adjusting "feature" this is one of the best TVs I have ever seen. I highly recommend it, especially if using it for a computer monitor isn't a major requirement.

Bought this TV for the bedroom, upgrading from a 20" CRT.

The set itself looks great, even though I'm not a big fan of the piano black gloss. Easy setup, light, functional. Attracts dust like Pig Pen. Annoying blue light and on/off sound easy to disable in the setup menu.

Picture looks absolutely great from straight-ahead, but the viewing angles are somewhat poor. It's noticeably less bright when viewed off-angle horizontally (I'd say past 35-40 degrees either way). And when viewed from below (i.e, sitting on the floor watching the TV) the colors/image are completely washed to the point of not being able to see anything. Very poor vertical viewing angle. Keep that in mind if you are mounting this set or otherwise watching from below.

Buttons on the right front side of the set (power, channel, volume, input) are hard to decipher and strangely placed. Very easy to accidentally press them if you grab the TV to move or swivel it (not that it has a swivel - why do almost no TVs under 32" have a built in swivel stand? Not everyone mounts TVs.)

Maybe it's my set, but I'm disappointed overall. I have a 40" Sony Bravia in the living room and I guess I am spoiled by that TV, but I was expecting more from the Samsung. Viewing angle turned out to be much more of a factor for me than I thought. I really wanted a 23" set, it was the perfect size for my room, but there's not much else in that size range. I'm returning it for a 26" Sony KDL-26M3000, which gets good marks for viewing angle (saw it at a local BB and picture was sharp from all angles). The Sony is more expensive, but I seem to be getting a good deal on it so it's really not that much more than the Samsung was.

I had originally planned to get a smaller LCD HDTV to stay under my spending cap. However, the price of this 23" screen on Amazon was less than an inferior 19" at the store. It is the perfect size for my exercise room. (The 19" would have been too small.) The resolution and contrast are excellent, the controls easy and the display is amazing. Try watching CSI:Miami on this thing and you'll think you can touch the palm trees.

I bought this unit shortly after it became available, in Oct 2007, and as far as I can tell, it was/is one of the very best 23" HDTVs available at the time.

What I Like:
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* Great picture, excellent onscreen menus, excellent contrast and brightness, and good viewing angle. Based on those four all-important criteria alone, I grudgingly gave this unit 4 stars ... despite the plethora of other nits I list below.

What I Dislike: (from most to least)
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* BASE LACKS TILT/SWIVEL: The default stand for this TV has no swivel ... it cannot be turned or tilted. Combine that with the fact that although side to side viewing angle is excellent, downward and upward viewing are mediocre and poor, respectively. That can be a real annoyance if you watch TV in bed, and the height of table upon which you place this unit is less than ideal. I was lucky, and my table height was fortuitously just right. If this unit came with a decent base, I'd probably have given it 5 stars instead of 4.

* PIP LACKS 2nd TUNER: This unit advertises it's PIP capability, but you don't discover until you buy it and open the manual that the unit only has one tuner, making it extremely awkward to utilize that capability ... and to do it, you have to sacrifice one of your two HDMI inputs to get decent quality. So yes, it has PIP capability, but not really. It's unfortunately a commonplace problem with many makes and models of TVs. More on that below.

* ONLY 2 HDMI PORTS: Why only 2 HDMI jacks ? I already know the answer to that, but it's still frustrating from a consumer standpoint ... it's because the HDMI interface is still new and copyrighted technology, and because manufacturers have to pay royalties, it's too costly to include too many HDMI inputs. That will change when the patents eventually expire. In the meantime, as of this writing, only the most expensive units include 3 or 4. The problem with having only 2 ? Follow along grasshopper ... first you hook up high-def cable, and then you hook up your DVD/blueray, and then ... whoops ... no more inputs. Coises ! Hie thee to the local electronics store, and buy an HDMI switchbox (yet another remote for your crowded table) in order to hook up your up converting VCR, Sony PS3, XBox360, PIP capability (which you'll still need a separate HiDef tuner for), etc. Meanwhile, feel free to stare in annoyance at all those obsolete downward-compatible low-def connections that still jam-pack the sides and back of the TV ... scads of RCA jacks, Composite Video, S-Video, and Coaxial inputs and outputs. All of it WASTED SPACE to those who've made the leap to HighDef.

* RESOLUTION (720P vs. 1080i): Ok, this item is not the manufacturer's fault, but I'll report it anyway. Everywhere, retail ads abound for 23" HDTVs (like this one) sporting 1080i, and it's a deliberate half-truth, if not a downright lie. I experienced first hand how unscrupulous retailers go out of their way to avoid telling you that HDTVs of this size are all currently 720p. They accept 1080i signals, granted, but they still only display them at 720p. Always pay careful attention to retail advertising vs actual manufaturer specifications on things like this.

* REMOTE: Minor nit - I found the remote to be rather clunky, and some of the buttons seem redundant.

* SOFTWARE UPDATE: A minor nit on a little used festure - this TV includes a USB port for uploading software updates, but I had all sorts of problems when I visited Samsung's website to check if my TV actually needed one. The manual was unhelpful, and the website had numerous glitches and problems with popups and browser compatibility. I'll probably never go back there.

I read all the reviews on the Samsung LNT2353H, which eventually convinced me to buy it myself. I was in the need of a serious upgrade from my old traditional 20" TV, and knew I wanted an HD flat screen because of the gaming consoles I planned to buy soon too, and I read that HD games on the XBOX360 look amazing on this TV--and I wasn't let down. This TV definitely lives up to all of its positive reviews: very sexy look, easy to set up, amazing quality picture AND beautiful sound. It picks up broadcast and cable channels that are broadcast in HD automatically, so immediately my regular TV viewing was so much more beautiful. It has lots of nifty modes and options to customize your viewing and listening experience, e.g. the Game Mode and Movie Mode. It's fairly light, it's bright, and the price is just right! (well--it's actually a sweet deal: thanks Amazon for an affordable piece for a piece of top-notch technology!) Oh and the fact that it can serve as a monitor for my laptop and/or desktop sealed the deal for me.

I really like this TV. The picture is great and it has so many amazing options to customize. Best of all it has it's own HD tuner so even if you don't subscribe to HDTV channels it can pick some up via a built in antenna and you can really tell the difference. It has a number of ports/hook-ups for easy access. We have ours mounted to the wall on a swivel mount and it works great.